So Much For College Football Playoff Ending Controversy

Who did not see this coming? A controversy on the fourth team qualifying for the final playoff spot was a talking point for college football fans when the Ohio State Buckeyes were the last team to complete a field of four-team College Football Playoff.

Everyone knew Ohio State would make the playoffs few weeks ago. They knew that football team was a brand name that the College Football Playoff selection committee wanted to pick to celebrate the inauguration of the playoffs.

There’s no question Ohio State being selected was based on dollars and cents rather than merit. They draw ratings and revenue, and that appealed to the NCAA. No one can say that about TCU and Baylor, which no one watches or cares. It was a no-brainer decision by the committee.

It was a stupid move. The Ohio State Buckeyes did not do anything to earn a playoff spot. They beat up on cupcakes from a horrible conference in the Big Ten. For them to be the best team in the conference, that’s like being the tallest midget of all midgets. That’s nothing to be proud of.

TCU beat good teams at least. They beat Kansas State, who was one of the best teams in the country. That should have been the difference maker for them to go. The committee knows that, too.

Baylor beat a great TCU team, so they are more qualified for a playoff spot.

For anyone to say Ohio State beat Michigan State and Wisconsin, there’s a flaw in that argument. Despite Michigan State being 10-2, their 10 wins were inflated since they beat terrible Big 10 teams. It’s no fault of Michigan State’s, but that can’t be denied, either. They were exposed by playing two great teams in Oregon and Ohio State, which their defense was shredded by their opponent’s offense.

As for Wisconsin, they played in a weak conference. They beat no one good in the Big 10. They were overmatched against Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. To say they were a good team is ludicrous.

Sorry, but Kansas State is better than Michigan State and Wisconsin. Same can be said for TCU and Baylor.

The committee claimed Ohio State beat Wisconsin with a third-string quarterback as a way to justify their decision to pick the Buckeyes is nothing more than an excuse to pick them. It was an easy way out. It was nothing more than lying to the public.

College football fans are smarter than people think. They do research on what’s going on around the league to know what team is the smart choice to make the playoffs.

Most of them know Ohio State is a fraud team at best. They know the Big 10 has so many weak teams. They did not need to be lied to about how they had better strength of schedule. Whatever that means.

The committee should have admitted the Buckeyes made the playoffs because they were a better draw than TCU and Baylor. It may not appease the public, but at least, they would be honest. The truth sets everyone free.

For Ohio State to be in the playoffs, the message was sent by the committee that lesser known teams are not welcome to have a shot in the national championship. That’s what makes all of this discouraging.

It’s too bad. TCU and Baylor were good enough to win a national championship when one looks at their offense. There’s no one dominating out there. That’s why Ohio State has a chance to win it all just like Oregon, Alabama and Florida State.

If TCU and Baylor were popular, one of them would be the last playoff team.

It shouldn’t be surprising there was going to be controversy concerning the last playoff team. There were several 1-loss teams. The committee has no clue about anything, so they were going to make a mistake. It just seems some team was going to be left out.

Honestly, college football was better off with the BCS. The BCS always had it right with the two best teams competing for a national championship every year.

The BCS made regular season games count. It was the survival of the fittest. It should be about a team that answered all the challenges every week to be undefeated. That’s the way it should be, not rewarding a team that had one bad loss earlier in the year and be in the championship game.

It was fun watching games on Saturdays where everything was on the line every week. That’s the way it should be.

Now with the playoffs, it makes regular season games meaningless. Why should Ohio State get a chance to rebound after losing to a bad Virginia Tech team in September? If this was the BCS, they would be eliminated.

It won’t be long until there are eight teams in the playoffs. NCAA will make more money out of it, which is why there will be expansion.

It was a mistake in the first place to add two more teams in the playoffs.

With controversy concerning the fourth teamin the playoffs, it’s safe to say nothing has changed. There are complaints and debates about Ohio State being in. For the NCAA, controversy is good publicity.

The BCS must be getting a good laugh about the negative publicity about the playoffs.

Leslie Monteiro

Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.